12 Most Effective Ways to Be Likeable on Facebook

In order to be effective in your Facebook marketing and communication, you’ve got to be likeable. How can you generate more likes, clicks and action on your Fan Page and content? How can you use Facebook to be a powerful communications and sales channel for your business? Here are the 12 most effective ways:

1. Use a landing tab to offer a compelling reason for people to “Like” you

When newcomers first arrive to your fan page, they will default to the Wall, unless you create a landing tab. Use this landing tab to offer potential fans a value proposition. Why should people like your page? Let them know what’s in it for them.

2. Share pictures

A picture really is worth a thousand words. Pictures are a huge reason that Facebook has gone from a Harvard dorm room to 750 million users in seven years. People love to comment on and re-share pics. So share your pictures, of customers, products, staff, and more.

3. Make and share videos

If a picture’s worth a thousand words, a video is worth 10,000. Make :30 – :60 second videos sharing insights, interviews, and having fun with staff, customers, and partners. Make sure to upload the videos through Facebook, so that when people share the videos, their friends can “like” your page from the top left corner of the video. Here is an example of our videos on Facebook.

4. Give away value

How can you help your customers and prospects? Share links to articles, podcasts, white papers and webinars. Give away samples of your products. The more expertise and value you provide people through Facebook, the more they will remember you as the go-to source for help—and share that with their friends and colleagues.

5. Respond to negative comments

There’s a temptation to delete negative remarks or complaints from your Facebook Page. But if you delete someone’s comments, they will only get louder somewhere else. The two most important words in Facebook marketing are “I’m sorry.” Apologize, and fix the problem, and turn that complainer into a fan.

6. Respond to the positive comments, too

The next two most important words in Facebook marketing are “Thank you.” People that take the time to say nice things aren’t to be ignores, they’re to be encouraged! Give them opportunities to spread the good word about their experience, and thank them sincerely. Get creative with this, as there are lots of ways to show your appreciation with some personality.

7. Surprise and delight

This has always been a tenet of good business, but on Facebook, it’s even more important, because up to 750 million people are watching when you surprise and delight a customer now. Give away free stuff, reward people randomly, and have fun with your fans.

8. Ask questions

Facebook is the world’s largest focus group, there for you 24/7/365. You can ask questions to get lots of valuable feedback about your product or services, or opportunities, or challenges. Plus, people like knowing that you care about what they think. In social media, it’s more important to be interested than interesting. Finally, questions are the best way to generate comments, which will give you stronger EdgeRank and allow you to show up in more of your fans’ newsfeeds.

9. Share stories

People love stories—about how your company got started, or about an interesting customer or staff member, or a program you did, or a charity or community involvement. Keep the stories short and simple, and use multimedia.

10. Be honest and transparent

You like when people are real with you, right? And you hate when people seem fake? In the same way, the more you can open yourself up, be authentic, vulnerable even, and share what’s going on, the more people will respond to you on Facebook.

11. Be short, sweet, and conversational

Talk to your business’s fans the same way you’d talk to your friends. Short, informal statements and questions generate a lot more engagement than longer posts. You can use up to 420 characters in each Facebook post- but try to stick to 140 or fewer.

12. Don’t sell

Just make it easy and compelling for your customers to buy. If you’ve done a great job listening to people, engaging with them, creating value, and educating them about your business through storytelling, when your fans have a need that you can solve, you’ll be there for them. Or better yet, when their friends have that need, you’ll be the one they “like” and recommend.

Dave Kerpen will be discussing his book, Likeable, this Sunday August 7th at 6 pm EST in #MyBookClub chat.

Dave Kerpen is the CEO of award-winning social media agency Likeable Media and the author of the New York Times Best Selling book Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, & Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (& Other Social Networks). His latest book Likeable Business: Why Today's Consumers Demand More and How Leaders Can Deliver is now available. You can also follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveKerpen.